Bishop Muench with his parents, Joseph and Theresa Muench, following his first pontifical Mass as bishop at their home parish, St. Boniface, Milwaukee, Oct. 16, 1935.
The following article appeared in the December issue of New Earth (Vol. 30, No. 11, pages 7 and 10), the official newspaper of the Diocese of Fargo.
By Father Andrew Jasinski
On November 16th, 1959, the bishop of the Diocese of Fargo learned that he would become a member of the College of Cardinals. The news was bitter-sweet. While he considered it a great honor, it would mean that he would not return to and serve the people he cherished, people from whom he had already been away for 13 years. On December 14th, 1959, Archbishop Muench became a cardinal. This month we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this event which crowned the life of a man dedicated to the Church.
Aloisius Muench was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 18th, 1889, to German immigrant parents. While living in a home where German was spoken by the family, in a neighborhood where German was heard on the streets, and attending a parish where sermons were preached in German, his mother insisted that her children learn English so that they could understand the world in which they lived. Aloisius would later learn French and Italian so that he could easily converse with the people he served.
“Allie” Muench loved the outdoors and he loved God. The earliest pictures show him enjoying canoeing and fishing in Wisconsin. He was an avid baseball player. When he later came to North Dakota, he continued to go on hunting and fishing trips. He was an excellent shot. Once he “brought down” a moose with a rifle while in a rocking boat.
He knew from a young age that he should be a priest. After graduating from grade school, he was tutored by a priest in Latin so that he could begin his training as a high school seminarian. He attended St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee for nine years. He was ordained a priest on June 8, 1913. For four years he worked as an assistant priest at St. Michael’s Parish, Milwaukee. After that he was an assistant chaplain at St. Paul’s Newman Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While there he found time not only to take classes in sociology and economics, but within two years had earned a Masters Degree in Economics.
Bishop Muench with his parents, Joseph and Theresa Muench, following his first pontifical Mass as bishop at their home parish, St. Boniface, Milwaukee, Oct. 16, 1935.
When World War I ended, Fr. Muench was sent to Fribourg, Switzerland to study. While there he travelled throughout Europe, where he witnessed first-hand the devastation of the war. He joined the effort to bring relief to the afflicted German people. It was through this work that he met Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) who was the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany. Muench earned a Doctorate in Social Studies in 1921; the title of his dissertation was “Fundamental Norms for Health Insurance Legislation in the United States.”
When he returned to Milwaukee in 1922, he was assigned to teach in the seminary. As with everything in his life, he completely dedicated himself to his work. After seven years, he was appointed the seminary’s rector and brought new vigor to the institution. Early in 1935 he was named a “Monsignor.”
After the death of Bishop O’Reilly, the second bishop of the Diocese of Fargo, Pope Pius XI asked Msgr. Muench to be its new bishop. At first Msgr. Muench considered refusing the appointment, saying that he could better serve the Church at the seminary. In the end, he consented to the pope’s wishes. Bishop Muench was consecrated a bishop on October 15, 1935.
Bishop Muench found that the Diocese of Fargo was in a financial crisis. Parishes were $800,000.00 in debt. Drawing on his understanding of economics and the Gospel, he established the Diocese of Fargo Expansion Fund. He asked all parishes to invest their surplus funds into this cooperative. From these funds needy parishes could secure loans. Despite the fact that people were recovering from the Great Depression, years of drought and the Dust Bowl, within five years parishes came out of debt. After ten years, the Expansion Fund had over one million dollars in capital.
As bishop he endorsed Catholic Action, that is, the laity’s active involvement in the apostolate of the Church. For example, he invited them to participate in “discussion clubs” in their local parishes. Among materials discussed were his annual Lenten Pastoral Letters and the Manifesto on Rural Life, a book he helped edit which promoted the principles of Catholic family life. At one point over 11,000 people across the diocese were participating in these clubs. He also worked to increase vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
In 1946 Bishop Muench was in Rome attending the ceremonies in which Archbishop Stritch of Chicago, his close friend, was made a cardinal. Pope Pius XII asked the new cardinal if he could recommend an American bishop to represent him in post-war Germany. The cardinal suggested Bishop Muench. Pope Pius XII, who met Bishop Muench when he was a student, chose him for the position.
Bishop Muench had multiple roles in Germany: Apostolic Visitor of the pope, liaison between the government and the German hierarchy and others. He worked tirelessly for the people: the devastated German citizens, prisoners of war, the German bishops, American soldiers, priests and others displaced by the Second World War and Communist revolutions. He was respected by all he served. In 1950 Pope Pius XII conferred the title “Archbishop” on him, and in 1951 Archbishop Muench became the first Papal Nuncio to the new government of Germany.
Cardinal Muench greets Pope John XXIII at the papal throne in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, during ceremonies on Dec. 17, 1959, in which he became a cardinal.
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, Pope John XXIII succeeded him as pope. It was Pope John XXIII who made Archbishop Muench a cardinal. He also assigned him to work in the Roman Curia (the governing body of the Vatican); Cardinal Muench was the first cardinal from the United States to work in the Roman Curia. On December 17th, 1959, the pope conferred the “red hat” (a galero, a wide-brimmed hat which is sign of being a cardinal) on him in ceremonies in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Once he became a cardinal he was no longer Bishop of Fargo, but Cardinal Muench still considered Fargo his home. It is tradition that a cardinal display his galero in his titular church in Rome; however, Cardinal Muench shipped his backed to Fargo, where it hangs to this day—tassels and all!—in St. Mary’s Cathedral. In 1960 of all the places he could have celebrated the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination he chose Fargo. It was the first time that he was in Fargo as a cardinal; he was greeted by crowds of well-wishers wherever he went.
Cardinal Muench died in Rome on February 15th, 1962. On February 19th, Pope John XXIII led the prayers for the dead in St. Peter’s Basilica. His body was returned to the United States. For one day it lay in state in St. John’s Cathedral, Milwaukee, before being returned to Fargo. On February 23rd the funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral, attended by his family from Milwaukee, and bishops and cardinals from across the United States and Canada. It was his desire to be buried in Fargo, and his wish was honored.
Cardinal Muench was a shepherd with the heart of Christ, moved by social and charitable concerns, rather than political or diplomatic motives. He was equally comfortable among prairie farmers and presidents of nations, among children and popes, in banquet halls or mess tents,—wherever he was called to serve Christ. He lived his motto: “In all things Christ.”
Father Jasinski is director of formation at Cardinal Muench Seminary.
Copyright by the Diocese of Fargo. Reprinted with permission.